Computer Networking FAQ #13

How many networking and IT professionals are there?
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Q. "I'm doing some research on the Information Technology (IT) industry... . What is the total number of IT professionals worldwide? The total number of networking professionals?"

A. In general these numbers are not easy to come by. Popular analyst groups like Gartner and IDC perform detailed market research in networking and IT and publish numerous reports in these areas... (see below)

More Questions Complete FAQ List Join the Discussion "No wonder there's a worldwide shortage of IT professionals. They're not hiring the qualified ones, or giving them positions for which they're overqualified." -SILVERLOKK Related Resources Careers in Networking

... . However, these reports tend to focus on the needs of larger corporations and may not be suitable for personal or small business researchers. Analyst reports tend to be quite lengthy and detailed rather than providing short answers to simple questions.

Perhaps a better option for individual researchers are smaller, more flexible services like those offered by InfoTech Trends. These firms include pay-per-use options that can be more cost-effective for one-time or infrequent data gathering needs.

The most common number cited for IT professionals is 10 million, based on the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) report "Bridging the Gap: Information Technology Skills for a New Millennium" published in 2000. Worldwide, one can find numbers as high as 15 million mentioned informally, but these claims are not well substantiated.

Likewise, little specific information is readily available on the specific breakdown between "networking" and "IT" professionals, though some sources suggest that networking professionals also number in the many millions of members.

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